1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to insulation, particularly to thermal insulation with spacecraft applications, in which a stand-off means is employed to obtain physical separation, and direct bonding of the insulating material to the surface to be protected is not required.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tremendous heat loads are encountered by spacecraft during orbit or trans-celestial flight due to solar energy. Likewise, during reentry of a spacecraft to earth environment, heat loads build up due to aerodynamic friction. Previous methods of solving these problems have resulted in ablative materials for the reentry environment, and rotation (such as in a rotisserie) of the spacecraft for the solar energy heat problems. Previous ablative heatshields have incorporated a honeycombed matrix filled with ablative material bonded to a substrate, an ablative material impregnated carpet adhesively bonded to a substrate, and a high temperature-resistant fiber carpet with pile extending from either side of the fabric base. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,603,260, 3,250,661, and 3,349,814.
While these devices solve most of the temperature problems, they nevertheless exhibit the disadvantages of excess weight, high cost, complexity of installation and non-reusability. Of ment of a mechanical bond between the thermal protection and the spacecraft surface to be protected.